Never Back Down
by Anonomon13
Summary: K-unit find Alex in the compound where he's being held. Only thing is, they don't know he's Cub from Breacon Becons. When they take him to the hospital, they think they'll never see him again. But they're wrong. Very wrong. And it costs them.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first story for FF. Yay! Hope you like it. I spent a long time on it.**

**SUMMARY:K-unit find Alex in the compound where he's being held, but they don't know it's him. When they take him to the hospital they don't see the boy they found again. But they do see Cub again. Only thing is they don't know it's the boy they rescue and they still feel the need to bully him.**

Silence. That's all K-unit could hear. Not one sound, as they made their way through the compound. They were told to get the agent and get out. The mission had seemed easy at first. But now K-unit were realizing it wouldn't be as easy as they thought.

They were to infiltrate one of Scorpia's torture facilities. The compound was in the middle of nowhere. An ugly, gray building with no windows on the outskirts of a deserted town in the South of France. Scorpia was known for its crimes. Sabotage. Corruption. Intelligence. Assassination. That was what it stood for and it had done a good job living up to the name.

They had been told that the agent they were supposed to rescue had taken on Scorpia twice and beaten it. Now, what remained of the organization wanted revenge. So they had kidnapped him. And now K-unit had to rescue him.

Of course, they weren't the only unit there, but they were the main unit sent to get the agent. The other agents on duty were scattered around outside of the facility for back up or in case somebody tried to escape.

K-unit was made up of four members. Wolf, Eagle, Snake, and most recently Tiger. Tiger took Fox's place after Fox left to works for Special Operations. Something to do with MI6.

The place was deserted. Or it was as far as K-unit could tell. They had already been searching for almost an hour and had come across nobody. The place may look harmless from the outside, but inside was like a maze. The twists and turns of the long hallways seemed to have been built for the sole purpose of confusing the victim. But right now that didn't matter. The agent was their priority.

The man who was supposedly in charge of the kidnapping was named Dr. Three. "An expert in torture," MI6 had told them.

"Hey, guys, over here." Wolf, the unit leader, called out. He was standing by a door. When Wolf opened it, it showed stairs leading down. Cautiously, the unit made their way down, keeping their guns cocked and at the ready just in case they came across anything. The stairs seemed to lead to a series of cells that lead down a long corridor.

That's when they heard it. A noise. A bloodcurdling scream full of pain and agony that cut through the silence like a knife. And it didn't stop. K-unit sprung into action. They ran down the corridor, guns ready. There was a door at the end. Wolf' being the unit leader, cautioned his team to be quiet and went up to the door.

It revealed a sight that K-unit never wanted to see again. Hanging from the ceiling with chains wrapped around his wrists was a boy, no more than 14. He was covered in blood. The red standing out horribly against his pale skin. There was a man in front of him standing over a metal table. It looked like one of those tables that doctors used when performing surgeries. The ones with all the sharp tools on it. Each of the tools on it were covered in blood. Whether it was the boy's blood or somebody else's. Old or new. It was all the same to K-unit.

The man hadn't seen them yet. That was good, it gave them an advantage. Agent or not, they had to get the boy out. He had either not noticed them or was just not acknowledging their presence. He was probably unconscious. The man had turned back to the boy, knife in hand.

In a calm and steady voice, Wolf called to him, "Put the knife down and turn around slowly."

The man turned around, but did not put the knife down. "So, has MI6 finally decided to help their little agent now? I have to say, I'm surprised. After two months they finally sent a search and rescue team. Well congratulations, I suppose, but I'm afraid your too late. I have already broken him beyond repair. It's a wonder he isn't dead yet.

To say K-unit was surprised was an understatement. This-this boy was the agent! The one who had beaten Scorpia twice! That sounded impossible, but it wasn't because the proof was right in front of them.

The man was Chinese. He was short, fat, and ugly. But there was delight in his eyes. Why? Was it because he was doing what he did best: torture. K-unit assumed this was Dr. Three.

K-unit hid their surprise easily. After all they were trained for this sort of thing. Wolf repeated his order. "Put the knife down NOW! This time Dr. Three did what he was told. It seemed to be the smart choice when he had three guns pointed at him.

"Put your hands in the air and don't move or I will shoot you without hesitation!" Wolf commanded. He was lying. He wasn't just going to shoot a defenseless man. It wouldn't be honorable.

Of course Dr. Three wasn't going down without a fight. He moved surprisingly fast for such a short man and in seconds had the knife at the boy's throat. Because he was unconscious' the boy didn't acknowledge the knife at his throat. "If you shoot, I will kill him."K-unit didn't know what to do, but they couldn't just stand there and do nothing.

For a moment everybody was silent. Not moving, not doing anything Wolf did the only thing he could: he took two steps forward, then tripped and fell. He had hoped to provide a distraction and hoped the rest of K-unit would get the message.

It worked. As soon as Wolf fell, Dr. Three started laughing. "This is how MI6 train their soldiers. They're not even capable of a simple search and rescue mission," he spat. K-unit sprung into action immediately. They all started to shoot blindly at Dr. Three. Realizing what happened, Dr. Three tried to flee, abandoning his earlier promise. He didn't get far. Three of the bullets hit him in the back. Three bullets for Dr. Three. The irony of it all!

After all the commotion died down, K-unit saw Dr. Three lying in a poll of blood, dead.

Without giving him any thought, the unit rushed over to the boy. "Snake untie his hands," Wolf commanded. The unit medic complied and together' they gently laid him on the floor.

Now that they had a closer look' they could see all his injuries. He had many lacerations on his back and chest, most likely from a whip. Burns covered most of his chest. There were several stab wounds on his arms and legs. He might have a concussion and internal injuries, but the unit couldn't tell. There was also bruising almost all over him, some places more than others. He was also very skinny, probably malnourished from lack of food. What stood out the most, though, was the scar of a bullet wound right over his heart. Most of the damage seemed to be centered there. Snake said it only looked a few months old. How he hadn't died yet, K-unit didn't know.

"There's a pulse but it's weak." Snake informed the unit as he inspected the boy. Then his eyes flickered open, but only for a moment. And in that moment, he started to scream. Even with his eyes closed, he continued. It was a horrible sound. His vocal cords were raw, probably from screaming in the past. That was mixed with a wheezing sound when he had to catch his breath. It was almost like he was sobbing.

"He's going into shock! We have to hurry!" Snake said.

Wolf bent down, sliding his hands under the boy's knees and back and gently lifted him. He was so light. It felt like Wolf wasn't carrying anything at all.

"Come on," he said,"There's an ambulance and doctors waiting outside.

Each member of K-unit was seated in the waiting room of St. Dominic's Hospital. They just wanted to make sure the boy was alright. The unit hadn't seen him since they brought him out of the compound. They had been told his name was Alex Rider at debriefing and nothing more. Of course, they had been outraged at the heads after finding out Alex was the agent.

The n the doctor came out. K-unit stood up, waiting expectantly.

"Are you all here for Alex Rider?" The doctor asked. After four nods, the doctor went on. "Well he is in critical condition and is on life support, but for now he is alive. He has several whip wounds on his back and front. He was malnourished which means he is more likely to get an infection. He was electrocuted and burned multiple times. Those wounds seemed to be centered around a bullet wound scar which is about a couple of months old. It was certainly aggravated. He's probably endured more pain than any normal human being. I don't know why, but he should have died a long time ago. He's a miracle boy. But I'm not sure about his mental health and I doubt he'll ever fully heal from his injuries.

"Can we see him?" Eagle' the third member of K-unit asked.

"I'm sorry, but it says here on Alex's medical form that only two people by the names of Blunt and Jones are allowed to see him. Also, family and friends, but he doesn't seem to have any family and no friends have visited. Since your none of those, I can't allow you to see him," the doctor said. With a small smile, he left.

K-unit all let out a sigh of relief. They had only come to make sure Alex was still alive, that they hadn't saved him for nothing. Although, they were a little disappointed that they didn't get to see him. He really was a miracle. And, with nothing short of happiness, K-unit left.

What the unit didn't know, though, was that Alex Rider was a miracle and that, as the old saying goes, he had the luck of the devil.

**Plz review. This took me forever. Now all you need to do is hit the blue button right below this. *hint hint* This took six and a tenth pages to right so do it. I know you want to.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The second chapter is here! Hope you like it. R and R plz. That is especially for a certain girl. U know who u r. Thx to all who reviewed last time.**

The beeping of hospital was what brought Alex Rider back to the land of the living. And the sound of voices talking. He could make out a few of their words. "Thought… dead. I want… out… by end of the week."

It sounded like a man and a woman. He knew those voices. They sounded familiar. Why were they here? The last thing Alex remembered was being brought in for another round of RTI. With Dr. Three. Though it could hardly be called RTI anymore.

But he couldn't be there anymore, could he? No. He was lying in something soft, probably a bed. Oh. It was so soft. So different than that cold, hard floor of that cell. But this place was different. It had to be. The air here was clean' not at all like the grimy air in the cell. Or was this just another trap cruelly thought up by his torturer. Without warning, his body started shaking from the thought. One of the machines beeping sped up. The voices were clearer now. The woman was speaking. She sounded panicked. "What's going on? Is he alright?"

Suddenly' there were more voices. Alex's eyes opened. The first time he'd opened them for days and he actually saw light. It hurt his eyes and he quickly shut them. And suddenly' there was pain. It was everywhere. What happened to that comfortable bed he was laying on? He couldn't feel it anymore. There were so many voices! He couldn't see! What was happening? Now he could feel hands grabbing him. Strong hands holding his weak' skinny arms so he wouldn't struggle. He took the chance and opened his eyes again. There were people above him. They were wearing white all white.

The memories came flooding back. Of Dr. Three. Of the people who he called his helpers. They wore white. But Dr. Three had killed them. Something about not following orders. He had made Alex watch. Then who were these people.

Then there was a woman beside him. It was one of the people wearing white. She started running a hand through his hair, saying things, but her voice sounded far away. Then, as if by magic, his hearing returned. All the voices came rushing at him. Somebody was yelling something. He tried to focus on the woman's voice.

"Your safe now. Nobody can hurt you here." She chuckled. "Your probably wondering where here is. Well your in a hospital."

A hospital. That's where he as. There were doctors at a hospital. That must be who the people wearing white were. He hated hospitals. But he was safe here. There was a small prick in his arm and he looked up to see a doctor giving him a shot of something.

He saw Alex - who had calmed down by now – staring. "There just painkillers," he said." Don't worry. He must have seen something in Alex's eyes. With that, all the doctors left. The people he heard talking earlier weren't there either.

Finally becoming aware of his surroundings, he looked around. The room was nice. Well, for a hospital. It had a TV up on the wall, walls painted a soft shade of blue, and two chairs for visitors. Then he looked down at himself. He was dressed in a hospital gown and there were wires everywhere and a tube down his throat. How had he not noticed that before? The covers on his bed were drawn up to his stomach. It was cold in the room. He reached down to draw them up, but when he tried' he found that he couldn't move his arms. He tried again and this time he was able to lift his arms up a few inches although his arms started to shake. Gosh' he was so weak.

Suddenly, he started feeling sleepy. It was probably the painkillers kicking in. The pain was gone now and his whole body felt numb. So he closed his eyes and fell into what he hoped would be a peaceful sleep.

Just as Alex fell asleep, the door opened. Ben Daniels stood there. He was so worried. Once he had gotten the news that Alex had been found, he came as soon as he could. Of course he had to go to Blunt and Jones and get "special permission" as they put it. So now he was here, at St. Dominic's Hospital, finally getting to see Alex.

He was not prepared for the sight that met him. Alex was lying on the hospital bed almost invisible from the blankets. He looked so small, like somehow the bed was overpowering him. But that wasn't all. There were wires everywhere. Attached to his arms and legs and snaking under the blankets and his hospital gown. The doctor said Alex couldn't speak. His vocal cords had swelled from all the screaming and the doctors couldn't do anything about it. They said it would heal with time. But time doesn't heal everything.

They also said Ales probably had PTSD. They didn't know how severe it was, but Ben would be surprised if it wasn't bad. Right now, Alex needed somebody he could trust. Somebody who would love and care for him.

When Ben had got to the hospital, Blunt and Jones had been leaving. Not a word was spoken as they passed each other. Then' when he had gotten to Alex's hospital room, there was a doctor there who said Alex had just had a panic attack and was resting now.

Ben sighed and sat down in one of the chairs next to the bed. It was cold in the room so Ben reached down and pulled the covers up to Alex's neck, being careful of the wires. He and Alex had built up a friendship ever since the Snakehead mission. When Alex had gone missing, Ben had been devastated. Whoever had done the actual kidnapping must have been cruel. When MI6 had gotten to Alex's house, they had found his housekeeper dead and him missing. After a month, MI6 had said they were dropping the search. They said it was a lost cause. That Alex was gone for good. That had, understandably, outraged Ben. He searched for hours. Looking for any leads or anything that might give him a clue as to where Alex was. It wasn't like Ben could just hop on a plane and fly to every country looking for him. Most of his searching was done on the web. He got up early in the morning and stayed up late at night until, finally, he found a lead.

It was totally by chance. He hadn't even been searching for it, but it showed up on the Google search page. A small article for a French newspaper talked about how a couple of boys dared each other to go into one of the deserted towns on the outskirts of the South of France. Some of these places were supposedly haunted. The boys stumbled upon a gray brick building in one of the towns. It was called Mercy.* When they got there' they described the place as a maze. The whole point of this article was that when the boys found the basement, they said there was what used to be a prison. Coming upon one of the cells, the boys said they saw what they thought was a dead body of a boy with blond hair covered in blood. After that they ran out, too scared too stay. Obviously, the police thought it wasn't important enough to investigate.

When Ben showed MI6 the article, they had no choice but to start the search again. Ben had only hoped that Alex wasn't dead yet. After all the article didn't specify. So now he was here, sitting next to the boy he had worked so hard to find.

Ben reached out and softly took Alex's hand. It was so small In his. What had happened to Alex must have been horrible. All Blunt cared about was getting Alex well so he could use him again.

Ben sighed again. All the bad things always happened to Alex. It wasn't fair.

Then, Alex mad a noise. It sounded like a whimper and then Alex flinched.

Ben didn't know what to do. He wasn't much for comfort, but, hey, why not give it a shot.

"It's ok." Ben said softly while running a hand through Alex's fair hair. After a few more words of comfort, Alex finally calmed down.

Just then, the door opened and Alan Blunt and Mrs. Jones walked in. Hadn't they just been here. Yes. So why come back. Ben didn't know and he didn't care.

Blunt was a very emotionless man. Not very attractive at all. He wore a gray suit that didn't do anything for him and he had gray hair, gray eyes, and gray everything. Yes, very boring. Mrs. Jones was at least a little more colorful in her clothing and switched it up every now and then. Some days she wore black and some days she wore brown. Always sticking to the dark colors. Bland, but at least it was different. She had children once, but something had happened to them. She never talked about them. Whether or not Blunt had a private life outside of work, Ben didn't know.

"Agent Daniels." Blunt said.

"Sir." Ben responded. Yes, very boring indeed.

"We would like to speak with you about where Agent Rider will be staying when we plan to have him released from the hospital in one week."

"What? One week! You're kidding, right? Alex can't be released from the hospital in one week. He won't be well enough." Ben protested.

"Yes, we know, but it has already been decided." Mrs. Jones cut in.

"He will be taken to the SAS camp in Breacon Becons. Alex will be staying with K-unit." Blunt said in his emotionless voice.

"Then let me go with him!" Ben protested.

"No. You are an agent in the field and you have work to do."

Ben knew there was no point in arguing. He could only hope Alex would be ok with a bunch of SAS soldiers who probably didn't want him there anyway. Once again, the Heads were giving Alex no choice in the matter.

"Well, does the sergeant and the soldiers know he's coming and what condition he is in?" Ben asked.

"Yes, they know he is coming, but they don't exactly know it's Alex and no, they don't know what condition he's in. They don't need to know. Alex will have all the medication he needs." Blunt said.

"But-" Ben was cut off by Blunt and Jones already heading towards the door. They were leaving and couldn't even say good bye. How rude!

With that, Ben turned back to Alex and was surprised to find that he was awake. Ben hadn't realized that he was still holding his hand and when he realized it, he quickly and gently placed it back on the bed. Alex couldn't talk, but Ben could see something was wrong after he did that. Alex looked hurt.

Alex started to make a noise. He wanted to say something and it sounded like he was frustrated. There were tears in his eyes now. Ha Alex Heard that he was going back to Breacon Becons? Was that it? Then, something touched his hand. It was a soft touch. Ben looked down. So that was it. Alex wanted someone to comfort him. He wanted Ben ti hold his hand.

Ben started to laugh. It wasn't funny, really. But Alex had almost started crying because Ben let go of his hand. If Alex got upset over that then how was he going to handle being at camp.

A couple hundred miles away, somewhere in Whales, Wolf was mad. It seemed that every time some bloody MI6 agent was sent to Breacon Becons, his unit always got saddled with him. It wasn't fair. And now he had to tell his unit. They'd be mad too. 'Well at least he won't be like Cub.' Wolf thought. If only you knew Wolf, if only you knew.

***I made that name up, don't know if it's real. Well there it is. My second chappie. Plz R and R. Thx again to all who reviewed last time. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers! (especially silver rook) It would have been nice to get some more reviews from the people who put me on story alert and didn't review. But maybe for this chapter I might get some more…**

**Anyways here's the next chapter. Hope you like it.**

**DISCLAIMER: (forgot to put this in the last chaps) Alex Rider does not belong to me. I wish he did, but you can't have everything.**

One week later found Ben driving Alex to his house to pick up anything he might need for Breacon Becons. The doctors hadn't wanted Alex to leave so early. Everybody needed recovery time to heal and Alex was far from better. Right now he was sitting in the backseat of the black Hummer MI6 rented to him.

During the last week, the doctors had slowly weaned Alex off the Morphine he was being administered. After three days, the tube was taken out of his mouth, but he still couldn't talk. During that time Ben had not left his side. Not once. Alex was quiet, although part of that was because he still couldn't speak. When he did speak, it was only to answer yes or no questions and when he did it was more of a whisper as if he was straining to be heard.

When it was time for Alex to leave, he had to use a wheelchair because of his legs. He didn't like the feeling of being weak and useless, but Ben had told him that if anyone had been through what he had then they would probably be dead, so he should be thankful that he was so lucky. Alex didn't feel reassured. So, it was understandable that Alex had refused the wheelchair and had attempted to walk on his own.

When he had finally stood up (with help from Ben), he then tried to make his way to the door until he fell flat on his face halfway there. Ben had tried to catch him but he hadn't been fast enough. Alex had started to cry because of the pain and of the hopelessness he felt. Ben had then bent down and lifted Alex off the ground and held him until he had calmed down. Well, really, he had cried himself to sleep so it didn't really count as calming down.

So, after placing Alex in the wheelchair and wheeling him to the car, they were now starting their journey to Breacon Becons.

When Ben finally pulled up to Alex's house, he still hadn't woken up yet. Ben leaned back and gently shook his shoulder. Alex stirred slightly and opened his eyes, blinking against the light.

"Wha-," he started. It was nothing more than a whisper.

"Alex, it's just me, Ben. Remember I told you that I was going to take you to your house to get your thing?" Ben asked softly.

Alex nodded and Ben went around to the back of the car to get the wheelchair. When Alex saw what he was doing, he started to protest. He still didn't want to use it after he had fallen and hurt himself?

Ben sighed. "Alex, if you don't want to use the wheelchair and since you can't walk, then I'll just have to carry you. It's your choice."

In the end' Alex still refused the wheelchair and Ben had ended up carrying Alex bridal style into the house and up the stairs to his room. Alex didn't care, no matter how embarrassing it was. He was just too stubborn to use a wheelchair.

Ben gently placed Alex on the bed and grabbed a backpack that was laying on the floor as if it had been thrown there, which it probably had. He wasn't sure what Alex wanted to take with him but he started with clothes. He wouldn't need too many clothes while he was at Breacon Becons. If he was going to participate in the exercises, which Ben highly doubted, then he would be given army issued clothes. Right now Alex was wearing loose-fitting pajamas, that looked way too big for him, the hospital provided for him. So he just threw in what he thought Alex would need, including the necessities.

Ben turned back to Alex to ask if there was anything else he wanted to take with him, and saw him clutching something to his chest with a sad look on his face.

"Alex, what is that?" Said person looked up. He didn't answer and instead held the object out to Ben so he could see what it was. Ben took it from him. It was an old teddy bear not in the best condition. The word "Alex" was stitched across the front of the thing's shirt. Ben ran his fingers over the letters. Whoever had given this to Alex must have known him a long time ago considering the condition it was in. Something crinkled underneath his fingers. There was a pocket in the shirt. Not very big, but big enough to hold something like a note. In fact, when Ben pulled it out, that was exactly what it was.

Once again, it was addressed to Alex. It read:

Dear Alex,

This is from your soon-to-be father. You're not even born yet! It even has your name on it. I just wanted to tell you that I love you, even now before I've met you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I can' t wait to spend the years to come with you.

Love,

Daddy

Ben now felt a little guilty about reading it, like he had just been caught doing something he shouldn't be. The note wasn't his. As soon as he had realized what it was, he should have put it back in. It was too late now. He turned back to Alex, who looked like he was about to start crying again, and knelt down in front of him. No words were exchanged as Ben leaned forward and pulled Alex into a hug.

Alex buried his face in Ben's shoulder and sobbed. Ben felt like crying too. Alex had never talked about his parents and never showed any emotion when they were brought up in a conversation. Now, it was like Alex was letting out all of the emotion he had been holding in. It made Ben realize just how much it had really affected Alex. Losing your parents at a young age and then your uncle, the only family you had left 14 years later, would have to be so hard to deal with. With those happy thoughts, Ben had just remembered he had still not told Alex where he was taking him or what happened to Jack. He decided to tell Alex about Jack now, to get that over with and tell Alex where they were going once they got there. He pulled away from Alex, who had now stopped crying, and tried to decide how to tell him this.

"Um, Alex? Do you, uh-are you wondering where Jack is?" Ben received a nod.

"Well, she, uh, she had to leave, Alex, and where she is now is a better place. But she's watching you and she wants you to know that she loves you." Sure, Ben had made some of that up, but he really didn't have a choice.

"She's dead." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Ben looked at Alex, afraid he'd start crying _again_. He didn't say anything, just held out his arms. He wanted his bear back. And when Ben gave it to him, he curled up on the bed holding it.

"You can't go to sleep now, Alex, we have to go." Alex didn't answer and Ben saw that he had already fallen asleep.

Shouldering the backpack, Ben gently lifted Alex and carried him back to the car. It would take a few hours to get to Breacon Becons, so he prepared himself for the long and quiet car ride ahead.

-NBD—

Three hours later, Ben pulled up to the gates of the SAS training grounds. He showed the guards his ID and, after answering a few questions, they let him pass.

Ben, once again, had to wake Alex up. He had slept through the whole ride. He turned around to wake him up and saw that he was still clutching that bear. He most probably wouldn't let Ben take it back, and if K-unit found out, they would make fun of him for it to no end. But if Alex wanted it, he wasn't going to argue with that.

"Alex, are you awake," Ben asked, not too loud but loud enough to wake him up.

Alex opened his eyes, tried to sit up a little straighter, and looked around. "Where are we," Alex whispered.

"Well, I didn't want to tell you cause I thought you'd get upset, but the reason Blunt had you leave the hospital so early was cause he wanted you to go back to Breacon Becons. You know, for protestion and stuff," Ben told him.

As Ben said that, Alex's eyes widened. He was, no doubt, remembering the last time.

"But-but I don't want to," Alex said and as an afterthought, he asked, Are you gonna stay with me?"

"I know you don't want to, but I can't do anything about it. And, Alex I'm sorry, I can't stay. Blunt wants to send me on a mission somewhere in South America and I won't be back for awhile. I really am sorry."

"Why can't you stay here? Why can't somebody else do it? I want you to stay with me! Alex was begging now, and all this talking couldn't be could for his swelled vocal cords.

"I can't Alex. Ok? Come on, let's get your stuff." And with that, Ben got out of the car and opened Alex's door for him. He assumed Alex wouldn't want to use the wheelchair, but he couldn't avoid it forever. So this time, he made Alex use it, despite his protesting, and pushed Alex into the cabin while he carried the backpack. Thankfully, the unit wasn't there, probably out on some hike or something.

Ben lifted Alex out of the wheelchair and onto a bed in the far corner. He assumed it was meant for Alex since it looked like it had just been shoved into the corner, and it looked like it hadn't been used in awhile.

Alex curled up on it and hugged the bear tight to his chest. Ben sat down next to him. Alex had several bottles of painkillers that he has to take each day and Ben was supposed to tell him when. He told Alex what they were and when to take them and that if he ran out then he would have to go to the infirmary here to get some more or have somebody call St. Dominic's.

"Alex, I'll miss you and I'll try to visit when I can. I promise."

Alex didn't answer and just stared at the wall. He was probably angry at Ben which made him feel guilty. He wrapped Alex up in a hug and kissed the top of his head. "Goodbye," Ben whispered. And, with a Final look back, Ben left.

-NBD—

"Hey! Isn't the MI6 agent supposed to be here," Eagle, in his all too happy voice, asked.

"Yeah. So?" Wolf grumbled.

K-unit was currently walking back to their cabin after today's activities. Eagle was jumping for joy at the prospect of meeting and MI6 agent. Wolf would have preferred if the agent wasn't there at all. Snake could care less. And Tiger, being the new recruit, followed his leader's example and only showed anger.

"Sooooooo, he's like a super secret agent and stuff. It's cool." Eagle shot back.

"Mmmmm. Whatever you say, Eagle," Wolf said.

Finally, K-unit arrived back at there cabin. Wolf opened the door and they all walked in. It was dark in the evening light so they couldn't see anything at first. Wolf could make out a slight bump on the bed they had dragged in here yesterday. Wolf turned on the lights. It turned out that it, in fact, was the agent on the bed, sleeping.

"Let's go scare him," Tiger suggested.

Eagle never turned down a prank so he agreed right away. Snake and Wolf decided to watch it play out.

Eagle grabbed a bucket of cold water from who-knows-where, walked up to the bed, and threw the water all over the sleeping form. The agent's eyes opened wide and he looked a little confused. And that's when Wolf realized it.

"Cub?" He practically shouted.

**There it is. My third chapter. I don't like it as much as the other ones, but I'll see what you think. PLZ REVIEW! and write suggestions if you feel like it and PM me if you have any questions.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know, I'm updating! Sorry about the long again to all of my reviewers. I love you guys. There are probably a ton of spelling errors, and feel free to tell me what they are, I might go back and fix them. And for all you people who didn't review but put me on story alerts and faved me, please review too. PLEASE! REVIEW!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Alex Rider.**

**Oh look. A wild chapter appears! What do you choose?:**

**Read**

**Read**

**or…**

**Read**

**Oh. Looks like there's only one choice. What to do. What to do. *hint, hint, wink, wink***

"_Cub?"_

Now Wolf saw red. That stupid boy who had been training at their camp almost a year ago was the agent? He was just a boy! His rich parents who had ties with MI6 probably pulled some strings so he could see what the life of spying was like. He obviously had not been on any missions. The heads couldn't do that, could they? His parents probably got on the wrong side of something or someone and they were in trouble, so they sent their precious little boy here for "protection" or just so he could see what boot camp was like.

For Wolf (and all of K-unit) this was an insult. They had trained so hard just to become soldiers, and then they had to train even harder to get into the SAS, so it was easy to understand Wolf's anger.

All these thoughts ran through Wolf's head as he looked around to see the others' reactions. For the most part, Snake and Tiger were surprised. Snake because he hadn't ever thought he'd see Cub again, and Tiger because having a kid at a military base full of adult soldiers was just something to be surprised about. Eagle, on the other hand, looked giddy with excitement.

"Look! Look! Look! It's Cub! Little Cub!" He exclaimed.

Wolf glared at him and marched up to Alex, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and slammed him, hard, up against the wall. He failed to notice the terrified look on Alex's face, nor the tremors that were creeping up his body, signaling a panic attack coming.

"What the heck do you think your doing here?" **(Just so we know, I don't curse) **Wolf hissed. Alex remained quiet. "Well? Are you gonna answer me?" He said, with nothing nice about his tone of voice. Alex, again, didn't answer him. Now, the shaking had gotten worse and Alex was hyperventilating. Wolf, who didn't know the signs of a panic attack, paid no attention.

"Are you even listening to me? Cause if you aren't, then you'd better listen now. We don't want you here and you don't belong here. Stay away from us. We don't want to be seen with _you_ again." He referred to Alex as if he were nothing. "Look at yourself," Wolf snarled, "You're pathetic. Brat." Wolf shoved him one last time up against the wall, then let go of his shirt. He walked out of the cabin, with his unit behind him who had just watched the scene and didn't do anything about it.

Alex was left on the bed, wet, tired, and in the grips of a panic attack. He couldn't breathe! It felt like he was suffocating. He desperately tried to calm himself down, but nobody had told him what to do if it ever happened. Not even Ben.

Ben. Alex wished he were here now more than ever. The memory of him leaving was still fresh in Alex's mind, and now it was making the panic attack worse. Nothing he did was working. Black spots danced before his eyes. Suddenly, he was falling into darkness. Alex knew there was no fighting it and he let it take over as he fell into unconsciousness.

-NBD-

K-unit had just sat down at their usual table in the mess hall after getting their food. Wolf hadn't said anything to anyone since they had found out Cub was the agent, and the rest of K-unit were too afraid to talk to him while he was angry. Except Eagle, always the stupid one, who had poked Wolf's shoulder in order to talk to him and that had earned him a punch to the face.

"I'm going to talk to the sergeant." Wolf abruptly stood, leaving his untouched food behind, and walked out the door as his unit stared after him.

"Why's he going to talk to the sergeant," Eagle asked.

"Gosh Eagle. Do you really have to ask that," Tiger answered.

"Is this about Cub? I thought we like that he was back."

"No Eagle. You like that he's back. In case you haven't noticed, the way Wolf treated him back at the cabin wasn't exactly friendly." Snake cut in.

"So you don't like that he's back either?"

"No, Eagle, we don't!" Snake was wondering how long it would take Eagle to get it. "He's a kid and he doesn't belong here!" Everybody lapsed into silence.

-NBD-

Wolf was in a shouting match with the sergeant which probably wasn't the best thing he could do' as he could get binned.

"Why's he have to be with us again! He's a stupid kid. He can't handle this!" The sergeant wouldn't be surprised if the whole camp could hear Wolf's shouting.

"I've already told you! Cub is back for protection and that's all I know. He will not be joining in on any of the exercises, but he will be expected to wake up and go to sleep the same time as everybody else!" The sergeant was beginning to lose his patience, but was failing miserably. This was the third time Wolf had asked him. "He's already been with you once, and it seemed logical to put him with you again."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, it wasn't exactly the best situation _last time_, and only an idiot would put him with us again!"

"This conversation is over! Get out of my office. Now!" Wolf, clearly still angry, moved toward the door.

"Oh, and Wolf." Wolf turned around at the mention of his name."If you ever speak to me like that again, you will be binned."

-NBD-

Wolf made his way back toward their cabin, assuming that his unit wouldn't have waited around for him at the mess hall. He was right. As he got closer, he could see that the lights were on in the cabin. Wolf could only imagine what was going on inside. What could possibly be going on in there with Cub back? He assumed that Eagle would be trying to entertain everybody with some stupid trick. Keyword trying. Snake would probably have his nose buried in some medical textbook. And Tiger-well Wolf couldn't exactly say what he would be doing. He was mysterious in his own ways. But Cub… come to think of it, Wolf remembered Cub looking a little scared when he had been having that little one-sided conversation with him.

Wolf shrugged it off. Like he said earlier, the kid was pathetic.

As he walked into the cabin, he realized that his prediction weren't too far off. Well, for Eagle and Snake at least. Eagle was humming some song by Lady Gaga as loud as possible. Snake did have his nose buried in a book, but it wasn't a medical textbook which was surprising. Tiger was lying on his bed cleaning his gun. And Cub was asleep on his bed. He had his back to them. Just the sight of him disgusted Wolf.

"Wolf! You're back! How did it go with the sergeant? I think I heard you shouting. Did he get mad at you? Were you mad at him? Is he gonna bin you?" Eagle's curiosity always got the better of him.

"Shut up, Eagle," Wolf told him. He didn't need this right now. He just wanted to go to bed.

"You can't make me shut up, Wolf. I can talk all I want. See. Talk, talk, talk." This time it was a punch to the stomach.

Wolf started getting ready for bed a few minutes later, and the others did the same. It had been a long day and everybody was tired. Not long after, the lights were out and everybody was asleep.

The next morning, Wolf had the duty of waking everyone up. Thank goodness it wasn't Eagle or they'd all be waking up to a rooster or a trumpet. He completely ignored Cub, who was still in the same position as last night, and woke up his _real_ teammates.

"Hey! Shouldn't someone wake up Cub? Cause if nobody's gonna do it, I will." Wolf was considering letting Eagle do it, just for punishment, but decided not to.

" No, I'll do it." Wolf walked over to Cub's sleeping form. He thought about waking Cub up the regular way, but decided not to. Instead, he grabbed Cub's arm and dragged him out of bed. He landed with a thump on the floor.

-NBD-

_Alex woke up, surrounded by darkness. He couldn't see anything, but then people suddenly came out of the darkness and were beginning to surround him. Alex saw the faces of all the people who had hurt him and he had hurt. They were all dressed in rags, blood all over them. Some had stitches over their faces like they had been given some crude surgery. Others had black holes where there eyes used to be. As Alex looked closer he saw that Jack was among them. They formed a circle around him chanting his name, "Alex Alex Alex Alex Alex" over and over again._

_They were so close to him now that he could smell the blood on them. Jack grabbed his arm in both her hands. "Look what you did to me Alex. Look! You killed me. I was going to leave, I wanted to get married have children, but no, you had to come along and ruin everything! This is your fault! YOUR FAULT!" Her screams echoed around the darkness surrounding Alex. Now she was wailing, still holding on to Alex, shaking him._

_The others were around him now, all grabbing some part of him like Jack. He saw the faces of Julius Grief, Damien Cray, and even Yassen Gregorovich. They were suffocating him. He tried to pull away, but soon they overtook him, ragging him down with them, and, once again, he was falling into darkness._

Alex slowly felt his senses coming back to him. He felt a slight throbbing where his whip wounds on his back were. Then he felt a sharp pain in his side and realized that somebody had just kicked him. That intensified the pain, which caused him to fully wake up. He realized he was on the floor. 'So I'm not dead,' he thought to himself as the memory of the day before came back and the nightmare he had just had. In truth, he had really expected himself to be dead, and was relieved, as much as a person who had been through what he had could be, that he wasn't.

"Get up, Brat!" Wolf was hovering over him, and Alex felt the same fear that he had felt yesterday coming over him. No! He wouldn't let it take over this time. Not in front of them.

"I said get up!"Alex couldn't get up. His back hurt and his legs were still not healed enough to be able to walk yet. He realized that when Wolf had pulled him out of the bed, he had been clutching his bear, and, to hid horror, Wolf had spotted it.

"What is that? Is that a teddy bear? Guys, come here and look at this. Little kids carry around toys like this not- you're what? 18? Well, I guess we'll just have to teach you to act your age starting with this thing." By that time Snake, Eagle, and Tiger had all gathered around and were laughing at Alex. Wolf bent down and pulled the bear out of Alex's arms, placing it on a shelf high above Wolf's bed.

"There. Now you can't reach it. Just be happy I didn't throw it out or something. Come on; I wouldn't be that cruel," Wolf said, earning a laugh from the rest of K-unit.

Nobody noticed that Alex hadn't, nor couldn't, move from his position on the floor. Nobody thought to wonder that maybe he needed help, that he was hurt, that there was something wrong. Nobody cared.

It took a while for Alex to realize that K-unit had left the cabin, probably to get breakfast then start the day's exercises. Alex was still trying to get over the shock of what just happened. They were soldiers. They were supposed to be helping people like Alex, not hurting them. Wolf' of course, was bullying him. That wasn't hard to see. For somebody who said he didn't want anything to do with Alex, he wasn't doing a very good job.

Wolf had taken his bear, the only real connection he still had with his parents. Sure' it sounded stupid, but for a boy like Alex, it seemed perfectly alright to carry around a stuffed toy that he hadn't even felt a need to be even near before all this had happened. Wolf had placed it on a shelf too high for Alex to reach and even if it was low enough, he was pretty sure that, with his legs, he wouldn't be able to reach it anyway.

Alex felt like crying. He wished he were back at home, with Ian and Jack, totally oblivious to the world of espionage. He really couldn't blame Ian for this anymore. Sure, it was his fault for getting Alex involved in the first place, but it was Alex's fault that he kept saying yes. Maybe he should've just let them ship Jack back to America. If he had, then maybe she still would've been alive today. But she wasn't. And it was his fault. His fault. His fault. His fault! He couldn't take it anymore and he let the tears fall.

After awhile, Alex finally came to his senses. First thing first, he had to get himself off the floor. He twisted around, and as he did that, his back screamed in protest. He gasped. It felt like a dozen sharp knives had pierced his skin. He reached for his bag under the bed and pulled out what Ben had labeled the "medicine bag". He grabbed a pill bottle labeled **(insert pain med name** **here, I don't know one)** and took two pills.

All this moving wasn't good for Alex, and he felt a little sick. He tried to pull himself off the floor, and by going really slowly and holding on to the side of the bed for support, Alex managed it. He could feel the effects of the medicine taking over and suddenly felt very sleepy. He wrapped the covers around him, and was really wishing he had his bear with him. He felt a little alone without it. His thoughts quickly became muddled as the medicine took affect, and he succumbed to the darkness.

**This is the longest chapter yet. Exactly 2,460 words. I hope you liked it. Sorry about the pain med thing. I tried looking some up but didn't find any that fit. Suggestions are welcomed and constructive criticism.**

**Again. PLEASE REVIEW! **

**It's the blue button right down there. See it? **


	5. Chapter 5

**So sorry for the long wait. I had some writer's block and had no idea what to write. And I want to thank everyone who has reviewed. Over 30 for the last chapter! That's AMAZING! Thanks a lot. You guys are awesome!**

**Just to warn anybody who doesn't like OOC. There's a lot in my story. So I did warn you.**

It had been three weeks since Alex had arrived at Breacon Becons. His legs were getting better, but he still wasn't allowed to participate in any of the exercises. Not that he wanted to. At least he could walk to the mess hall now, even if it took 15 minutes on what would otherwise be a five minute walk. K-unit never waited for him anyway. He always sat in the far corner by himself while all the soldiers threw insults at him the whole time. He hardly touched his food, and when he did, he felt like throwing up. It wasn't the food that was the problem, however disgusting it was. Alex was sure it would've happened with any kind of food.

He was skinny and unhealthy and the nightmares weren't helping. Luckily, K-unit never noticed that he had them, or that would probably be another thing they would make fun of him for. Clothes that used to fit him before all this had happened now practically fell off his small frame. The air outside was cold and that wasn't helping his recovery process either. The SAS apparently had a Christmas break. Not that Alex would be going anywhere.

Wolf and the others weren't being any nicer than before. At least now with his healing legs he had been able to get his bear back while the unit was out exercising. Wolf still hdn't noticed.

Alex didn't want to do _anything_. Some people might call him lazy if they didn't know what had happened to him. He was sure that's what K-unit though of him. All he did was get up, go eat when it was time, use the bathroom when he had to, and go back to sleep. Or at least try to. With all his nightmares, he'd usually just lie there and snuggle under the covers with his bear and think about what he did wrong to deserve this.

That's what he was doing now. It _was_ his fault Jack died. He didn't mean for her to. He didn't even know it was going to happen. But if he had just said no to MI6, then she'd be safe and sound in America and he'd be in a boy's home somewhere. That was sounding a lot better than here.

He had started to give up hope that Ben was ever going to come back and see him. After all, it had almost been a month. He said he would visit after he finished his mission. Unless something happened to him. What if that was Alex's fault too? The thought panged Alex. He didn't want to think about it.

Just then, the door of the cabin slammed open. K-unit was back. Before anyone could see (especially Wolf), he stuffed his bear between the wall and the bed, pulled the covers up so only his eyes were showing, and pretended to be asleep.

"… not going anywhere, Eagle, so shut up!" That was Wolf's voice.

"Oh, come on, you don't want to be the only one in the unit staying behind for Christmas. You can come with me," Eagle said.

If your family is anything like you, then no thank you. You'd have to be stupid to think that. Oh wait, I forgot you are. I just hope I'm not left here with the brat." The last part was said with disdain in Wolf's voice.

It finally dawned on Alex that he was going to be left here for two whole weeks with Wolf. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. Wolf would probably be even more angry when he found out that Alex wouldn't be going anywhere either. And that anger would probably be taken out on him.

"Don't worry Wolf; I'm sure the kid has somewhere to go. No matter what he did that was bad enough to make his rich parents send him here, they couldn't celebrate Christmas without him," Snake spoke up.

"I thought he was sent here for protection. Isn't he an MI6 agent," Eagle asked.

"MI6 agent? Are you kidding? He's like 16. Why would you think that," Snake asked.

"Wolf and I overheard F-unit talking about somebody from MI6 being sent here for protection and they would be staying with our unit. Cub's come back, and he's staying with our unit. So he must be the MI6 agent."

'You actually believe F-unit? They're known for lying all the time and spreading rumors. I'm surprised you even listened. Well, not you Eagle. But Wolf?"

"Sorry," Wolf mumbled.

"Why don't you ask him if he's going home for Christmas and if he's MI6," Tiger suggested.

No! If they were going to ask him, knowing Wolf, when he found out the truth, he'd most likely hurt somebody. And that somebody would most likely be Alex.

Surprisingly, Wolf agreed, and now Alex could feel two of them crowd around his bed (probably Wolf and Eagle). Maybe he could just lie here and ignore them till they left.

"How should we wake him up," Eagle asked.

"I know." Oh gosh. That was Wolf. He was dead.

Then a foot came crashing down on his stomach. There went his plan. His eyes opened wide. Pain exploded through his half healed burn wounds and whip marks. Tears welled up in his eyes as he tried to bring his arms to down to his stomach and curl in on himself, but Wolf's boot held him in place.

"Oh. Are you gonna cry? Huh? Look at him," Wolf said, turning to his teammates, "I barely touched him. And now's he's gonna cry."

Barely touched him? Was he kidding? Compared to Alex' Wolf was three times bigger and stronger than he was. And he thought he'd barely touched him?

Alex tried to stop the tears, but he couldn't and they fell down his face one by one.

"Heyyyy, Double Oh Nothing. We just wanted to know if you're going home for Christmas." What the heck was wrong with Eagle? Alex was crying, Wolf was glaring at him, and Eagle was practically jumping for joy.

"He asked you a question! Answer him," Wolf growled, pressing down harder on Alex's stomach. Alex gasped.

"No," He croaked out.

"What!" Something banged above Alex's head, and he realized Wolf had punched the wall. At least it wasn't his face. He was fuming with anger. Feeling the pressure finally leave his stomach, Alex turned his head to the side to see Wolf stalking out the door and slamming it behind him.

Alex's stomach still hurt and now he really wanted to sleep. He didn't feel well either, so he closed his eyes and fell into a much needed sleep. Thankfully without any nightmares.

Eagle spoke up. "Oh, and we want to know if your like an MI6 agent. Me and Wolf think you are, but Snake says that's crazy and Tiger hasn't said anything about it yet. If you ask me, Tiger's a little mysterious, y'know? Sometimes he scares me. He never talks about his interests or anything. Weird, right? What was I saying again? Oh yeah, so are you an MI6 agent? When Eagle got no response, he looked down and realized Cub had fallen asleep. "Come on! Ugh. You're no fun."

-NBD-

A few days later, most of the SAS soldiers were leaving for Christmas. They had the option of staying at camp for extra training, but most chose not to. The ones that did stay either had nothing to go back to or they just didn't really care.

All in all, there were about 20 soldiers staying behind. That included the Sergeant. He had to stay to oversee the camp, but he would leave Christmas day. Wolf, of course, was also staying. He didn't have a family to go back to. He was an only child and his parents died two years ago. He didn't have any known relatives either.

Wolf was standing by the camp gates, trying to act cheerful as e said goodbye to his unit. He wasn't doing a very good job of showing it. Eagle always noticed everything.

"Aw, come on Wolf. It's not that bad. All you have to do is ignore him."

"You're not the one who's staying with him, Eagle."

"Well, I think we have to leave now," Snake cut in, trying to stop Eagle from making Wolf mad.

Wolf shook hands with Snake and Tiger, but was tackled to the ground by Eagle, who was pretending to hysterically sob.

"I'm gonna miss you so much, Wolf. We've had such wonderful times together. I can't believe it's over!"

"What the heck, Eagle? You're so immature. Get off!" Wolf pushed him none too gently off himself.

"Fine. Bye, Wolf." Eagle jumped into the truck that would drop them off in town, and as it pulled away, started waving back to Wolf like the Queen. Wolf didn't wav e back.

-NBD-

Wolf trudged back to his cabin with his arms crossed. As he opened the door and made his way to his bunk, he stole a glance at Cub. The kid was asleep as usual. Wasn't it unhealthy for kids his age to sleep as much as he did?

Wolf shook himself out of his thoughts as he sat down on his bed and pulled out his gun. It actually sounded like he was starting to care for him. Definitely not! He was just some spoiled brat. Or was he. Wolf _had_ overheard F-unit talking about an MI6 agent coming and even though they were known as the unit of liars, they always had gossip about the camp and most of the time it turned out to be true. And it wasn't like they were trying to fool anyone. They were talking among themselves. Unless they knew he and Eagle had been listening to their conversation.

Wolf decided enough was enough. He was going to find out why Cub was here, even if that meant breaking into the Sergeant's office.

He stopped cleaning his gun, put it down, and headed for the door. He opened and closed it quietly so as not to wake Cub. Only because he didn't want him seeing what he was doing and start asking questions.

He walked down the steps of his cabin and followed the path that would lead to the main cabin, which is where the Sergeant's office was located. Wolf knew the Sergeant always started his morning jog around the camp at 10:00. He checked his watch. Five past ten. That gave him about 30 minutes to get in, find what he was looking for, and get out.

The walk took him about five minutes, and when he reached the cabin, he walked right in through the front door. Luckily, the intern who ran the front desk was out so Wolf wasn't questioned as he walked into the Sergeant's office. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. That was stupid of him to leave it unlocked. Anybody could just walk in. Like Wolf. He had no idea where to start, but decided to check the desk first. Wolf opened all the draws, but all they had in them were some pens and government papers that he probably wasn't supposed to see.

The computer was out of the question. He needed a password to get in and he wasn't going to waste his time trying to figure it out. He looked around the room and his eyes landed on the filing cabinets. Wolf presumed they held files, and he hoped they were the soldier's files. Soldier or not, Cub's was probably in there.

Wolf remembered seeing keys in one of the draws. He quickly found the right one and pulled them out. There were five keys on the ring. He tried the first one in the top cabinet but it didn't fit. The second one didn't fit either. On the third one, he got it.

Wolf knew the files were sorted by codename in alphabetical order, and since Cub was a C, he should be in the top one. Yes, there he was. The last one in the C list. Wolf pulled the file out and started reading.

Name: Alex Rider

The name seemed familiar to Wolf. He'd heard it somewhere, he just couldn't place his finger on it.

DOB: February 13, 19**

Age: 14

Mother: Helen Rider (deceased)

Father: John Rider (deceased)

Relative(s): Ian Rider (deceased)

Last Guardian: Jack Starbright (deceased)

What! The kid had no family? Wolf felt horrible. If he didn't have rich parents, then why was he here?

Current Guardian: Royal and General Bank

No way! All the SAS men were told that the Royal and General Bank wasn't actually a bank. That it was really the HQ for MI6. This was impossible! How could Cub's guardian be MI6? Wolf went on to read that the kid was actually the highest ranking agent they had. And he was only 14! He read through the injury list, and found that Cub had been shot in the heart, nearly drowned multiple times, and more.

Under recent injuries it said that Cub had been in the hospital for a week around a month ago due to being kidnapped and tortured in a deserted compound in the South of France. He suffered from PTSD and had panic attacks whenever something triggered flashbacks.

Wait. The South of France? Wasn't his unit just there around a month ago because of a kidnapping situation? No! It couldn't be. This wasn't happening. Wol's eyes roamed the short paragraph. There it was, printed in ink on the paper.

Rescued by British SAS. Unit K.

Oh gosh no! Now Wolf remembered where he'd heard the name. Alex Rider was the name of the boy they had rescued. The doctor had told them. But if Cub was Alex, then Wolf had been hurting him the past month while he was obviously supposed to be recovering. Wolf understood why he slept so much. He must be trying to sleep away the pain or he just didn't want to get out of bed and face the horrors of the camp.

Wolf stuffed the file back into the draw, locked it, put the keys away, and left. He needed to apologize to Cub. He didn't expect forgiveness, but he had to apologize anyway. He should've known something was wrong with him. He didn't look healthy to begin with, but Wolf had been too blind to see it. He was the one who was pathetic. Not Cub,

All too soon, Wolf had made it back to the cabin. He was half way to Cub's bed before he realized he needed to think this out. He stood there for a moment, and, in the end, decided to wing it.

Quietly walking up to Cub, he bent down so he was eye level with him. He reached his arm up and gently shook the boy. When that didn't get a response, he shook him harder, probably harder than necessary.

Alex jolted awake, eyes snapping open only to land on Wolf. He tried to think of what he did wrong this time that had made Wolf mad, but couldn't. All he could do was push himself up against the wall and stare at him.

Wolf wasn't expecting that reaction from Cub. He was shaking. Was this a panic attack? He didn't know; he wasn't a medic. He had to fix this.

"Cub? Are you ok? I'm sorry for hurting you. Calling you those names. Bullying you. I'm a soldier. I'm not supposed to do that. I'm supposed to be helping people. That's not what I stand for. I was wrong. I'm sorry."

Alex was surprised. Why was Wolf apologizing to him? He had been expecting Wolf to yell at him, hurt him. But no. he was saying sorry for just that.

"Why are you apologizing to me," Alex whispered. His unused voice sounded scratchy.

"I, uh, I saw your file. You were that kid my unit rescued in the South of France. I didn't know. Even if you weren't that kid, I still shouldn't have been so mean to you. I understand if you don't want to forgive me."

"You-you rescued me? Why didn't anybody tell me? Why did you hurt me?" Wolf saw his eyes start to water. Jeez, the kid cried a lot.

"Yes, Cub, we rescued you. I don't know why nobody told you it was us. I guess I hurt you out of jealousy. You were a kid who was just allowed to be here with no explanation, and we were soldiers who had to go through extensive training to be here. We though you were just some rich kid. I'm sorry. I didn't know your parents were dead."

"How did you know that?" Alex asked, trying and failing to sit up. His stomach was still hurting after two days.

"It was in the file," Wolf answered, awkwardly holding out his hand to help Cub sit up. Alex glanced at it then lifted his arm up. Wolf grasped it and pulled him into a sitting position.

"Look, Cub, Why don't we just start over?"

Alex looked up. somebody was actually trying to be nice to him. Even if he was so mean to him before, this was the only other person besides Ben who actually wanted to help. Alex looked up and gave a small smile, the first since he arrived.

"Yeah. Ok."

**This chapter is the longest yet. 2,900 words. Longer than usual! I hope it makes up for my long absence. **

**Ok, so who thinks Wolf should get Alex a Christmas gift? If you do, please put suggestion in your review as to what it should be because I can' t think of anything. **

**Suggestions are welcome.**

**Oh and please REVIEW! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**So so sorry for the long wait. I had writer's block again. Like I said in my profile, writing isn't really my thing. But thank you everyone for all the reviews, favorites, and follows that my story has gotten. And thanks to the people who still reviewed even though I haven't updated in a long time. **

**This chapter feels a little rushed to me and I'm not very happy with it but I don't feel like rewriting it so here it is. **

**My story is also really OOC so if you don't like that then don't read it. An I apologize in advance for any spelling errors. I wrote this on a tablet.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Alex Rider.**

When Alex agreed, Wolf gave a sigh of relief. "Ok, then," he started, a little awkwardly, "Since I'm on duty, just call me Wolf." He held his hand out to Cub for the second time today.

"Alex Rider." Alex said, even though he knew Wolf probably already knew that after snooping through his files. He reached out and shook Wolf's hand. His hand looked so much smaller compared to Wolf's large one. "Um, what else was in the file?"

"Well," said Wolf, "You went on a number of missions that most experienced SAS men could never do." Was Wolf praising him? "You were shot just a few millimeters away from the heart which seems almost impossible to survive with. It had a detailed account of all the injuries you sustained on all your missions too. It also said that your mom and dad were killed. And it had the usual back story on your life."

"Oh, ok," was all Alex could say. He didn't enjoy having someone know everything about him and Wolf was no doubt going to tell the rest of K-unit about him the first chance he got. He hoped he didn't.

"Aren't you hungry? 'Cause breakfast is almost over and I noticed you haven't really been eating anything in the past couple of days and you're kinda skinny so I think you should come to breakfast with me. The food here isn't great, but at least it's something."

"I can only eat a little," Alex started. "Whenever I try to eat more, I always feel like throwing up, and it hurts too much to get out of bed. I don't want to go to breakfast. I would probably be able to if MI6 had given me the proper time to heal. They said that the doctors here would help me if anything was wrong, but nobody has."

Alex was frowning and looking down at his lap, with tears welling up in is eyes once again. Wolf, afraid he would start crying again, desperately tried to calm him down. He hadn't since they had made up and he was really hoping he had stopped. "No no, don't cry. They probably meant you had to go there yourself if something was wrong. I can take you to the infirmary if you want to go there." Wolf had no idea what he was doing. He had no experience with teenagers, especially not ones as messed up as Alex (no offense).

"Will they help me if you take me there? Can they make it stop hurting?" Alex was looking at Wolf now.

"Yes, they can help you. But don't you have any medicine to take?" Wolf didn't think his injuries could really be that bad anymore. Could they? It had been awhile since he'd been injured.

"Yeah, they gave me morphine for when the pain gets really bad and a couple other pills. But I ran out of morphine a few days ago and the other painkillers aren't strong enough. It's starting to hurt more each day. I don't know what to do."

"Alright, I'll see if the doctor can give you more, but first they should probably check you over because, from what you told me, you seem to be in a lot of pain," Wolf said.

Alex nodded. Since Wolf had helped him sit up, the wounds had started throbbing.

A moment of silence followed with Alex and Wolf both sitting there a little awkwardly until Alex brought Wolf back to the present. "Can . . . Can we go now?"

"What? Oh, yeah." Wolf scratched the back of his head before clearing his throat and asking, "Do you need help walking? Because in the file it said that your right ankle was broken and that your left leg was fractured at the knee* and since you didn't get very good medical treatment I don't think it would have healed right."

"I have a wheelchair under the bed. I might need help getting into it though." Alex remembered Ben putting it there, telling him he would have to use it sometime.

Wolf bent down and reached under the bed, groping around until his hands closed around the what he thought was the wheelchair and pulled it out. Thankfully it was. He unfolded it, and then began the slow process of getting Alex into it. He placed his hands under Alex's shoulders and hefted him into the chair. Wolf was a little surprised at how light he was but that was to be expected. There were slight bulges in the legs of Alex's pants and Wolf realized that those must be casts for the injuries there. How he hadn't seen those when he'd pulled him out of bed those few times, he didn't know. But the guilt was even worse.

Wolf pushed Alex out of the cabin, struggled a little bit with getting down the stairs, then started on his way to the infirmary.

A few of the soldiers who were out exercising by their own choice gave the two quizzical looks as they moved past them.

Wolf and Alex finally made it to the infirmary. Wolf walked up to the front desk and asked the secretary their for Dr. Smith, the head doctor. The secretary, a little curious about why there was a boy in a wheelchair at an SAS camp, called for the doctor. He then directed them both to the waiting area.

A few minutes later, Dr. Smith came out carrying a clipboard. "I was told there was a soldier here for me."

"Yes, I need you to check Alex," Wolf gestured to him," over. I'm not sure how much I can tell you, we'd have to ask the sergeant, but Alex was severely injured about a month ago and from what I could gather, he didn't receive the right medical treatment."

"Ah, yes. I was told that there was a boy from MI6 who had been injured and was coming here and that I might have to treat him. So, if you would just follow me." He led them both into a room in the back. "Ok, if you could sit up here for me," Dr. Smith said, talking to Alex and pointing at the cushioned table running the length of the back wall.

Alex looked up to Wolf expectantly. "Could you...?"

Wolf moved to Alex and lifted him onto the table. The doctor noticed. "Can't he get up himself?"

"No Doctor. His ankle is broken and his leg is fractured along with the other injuries. He's been going off of painkillers for the last couple of weeks."

"My gosh! He shouldn't be here! He should be in a hospital right now," Smith exclaimed. He made a note on his clipboard.

"I know. It's disgusting what MI6 is doing to him," Wolf said.

Dr. Smith sighed. "Alright I'm going to check you over now," he said to Alex. Then he turned to Wolf. "You ca stay or you can leave if you want."

"I'll stay." Wolf didn't really know Alex very well, but he wanted to change that so he decided to stay for supportive reasons and because he was a little curious about Alex's injuries.

Dr. Smith had Alex remove his shirt. He was shaking a little bit because he hadn't moved around this much in a month and his injuries were hurting so he needed a little help even though it was embarrassing. After his shirt was removed Wolf was very surprised at what he saw. There were bandages wrapped around his stomach and sweat and they were stained with blood in some places. The looked old and probably hadn't been changed since Alex had got here which meant that infection might have set in.

Dr. Smith was surprised as well. He made another note on his clipboard and then immediately went to cut of the bandages. It was even worse underneath. Wolf remembered what the doctor at the hospital had told his unit about the injuries and he wasn't very prepared for what he saw. In some places the wounds were scabbed over, but in others, where there were stitches, they were seeping. It didn't look like anything that had been done for him at the other hospital had done any good.

Alex looked frightened at what he saw too. "It hurts," he whimpered. Wolf wouldn't blame him if he started crying. He walked over and patted Alex's hand awkwardly. He barely knew Alex, but he knew when someone needed comfort.

"I'm going to need to know what happened to him before I can assess him properly. And for that I will have to see his file so I'll have to get permission from the sergeant. It's clear as day that infection has set in. This could be life threatening. I might have to perform surgery and I'll also need permission from his guardian."

Wolf looked over at Alex who was shaking even harder with a look of pure terror on his face. "His guardian is MI6. It didn't say who exactly he was staying with though. Alex, can you tell us?"

"Ben Daniels. But he went on a mission an-and he hasn't come back yet. H-he promised he would though." Alex stuttered and tears began rolling down his face. He would give anything to see Ben right now.

"Fox?! You're staying with Fox?!" Wolf was thoroughly surprised now. Fox still kept in touch with K-unit. Wouldn't he had told them that he had taken custody of Cub?

"I'm going to go talk to the sergeant. If you could just stay with him until I'm back. But first I'm just going to redress your wounds until further notice. And here's a painkiller. It might make you a little drowsy, though " He handed Alex the pill and got some water for him. Then he grabbed some bandages out of the draw in the room and gently rewrapped the wounds.

Alex was almost asleep by the time Dr. Smith was done. They had moved him to a more comfortable room with a bed where he had fallen asleep and Wolf sat in a chair beside him. He was currently waiting for the doctor to come back. It was now around noon time.

He was thinking back on what happened so far today. He hadn't expected to be sitting here in the infirmary with Cub. All he wanted to do was apologize to him. What had he gotten himself into?

**Thank you for reading **** Sorry again if it seems rushed and if there are any spelling mistakes.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews :) They mean a lot. Sorry I'm not very good at updating. This story has taken a whole different direction than I had planned, but I'm going to try and finish no matter how weird it gets. **

**Sorry if there are any mistakes and if anything in this chapter doesn't make sense with the last one. I'm writing this on a tablet. **

-NBD-

"Well", all the sergeant said he was allowed to tell me was that Alex was sent here for protection and recovery by MI6. He didn't tell me what the protection was from though," Doctor Smith said. He had just returned a little while ago from that sergeant's office.

"Did you tell him what kind of condition he was in and that MI6 hasn't been doing a whole lot for his recovery," Wolf asked, getting angrier with each word.

"Yes, I did tell him about Alex's injuries. He was concerned and he told me to keep an eye on him. I also told him that Alex said his present guardian is Fox, and all he said was that he knew that."

"Isn't he going to do anything about it? At least talk to MI6 or something and ask them why Cub isn't in a real hospital!" Wolf was seething mad now. How could they do this to a child? Didn't they even care about him? He didn't know all the details of what Alex had been through, but he intended to find out. From what he saw when they went in to rescue him, it looked bad. And if that's what all his missions had been like then MI6 were monsters to put him through that. He felt ashamed to work for a government that would do this. Dr. Smith broke Wolf from his thoughts. "I'd like to keep him here for a few days. A week at the most. If none of his wounds have healed by then, we'll start talking about the surgery."

Wolf nodded in understanding. He looked over at Cub who had been asleep for a few hours now. He looked so young and vulnerable. Wolf only hoped it would get better for him.

-NBD-

Three days later, and Wolf had gotten to know Cub a little better. Though it was still a little awkward for Wolf, Cub seemed to enjoy the company. He came to visit Alex as often as he could, but he still wanted to keep in shape so he spent half the day training and the other half with Cub. He made sure he got the most edible food from the cafeteria for Cub. They never had good stuff, but Cub needed to have something to eat since he was still so skinny. He hadn't learned a lot more about Cub's personal life. Most of the time it was him telling Cub about himself. Cub had told him where he went to school (or used to). He said he wasn't sure if he would ever go back. He had also told Wolf about his friend Tom. He talked for a long time about Tom and all the crazy things he and Tom had done.

Wolf didn't really understand why Cub had been talking about all this stuff so easily with him. Then he realized it was just because he needed someone to talk to. All they had done since Cub had got here was bully and ignore him. He felt terrible for that.

"I'll be going now," Wolf said to Cub, getting up to leave. It had been a long day and he could tell that Cub was getting tired. The antibiotics they had him on had a side effect of being tired.

The look of sadness that came across Cub's face as he said that did not go unnoticed. He had that look on his face two times before when Wolf had told him he would be leaving. Wolf didn't blame him. He wouldn't want to stay in the infirmary by himself either.

"Sorry, kid. I'll come back tomorrow, alright?"

"Ok," Cub responded in that quiet, soft voice he always talked in.

Once Wolf had left, Alex was left alone. He sighed. Why did all the bad stuff have to happen to him? He'd much rather be back in the cabin instead of here in the infirmary. In fact, he would rather be out of this camp all together. It wasn't as bad as it was before now that Wolf was actually making an effort to be nice to him. He was the only one who had realized so far that Alex had not come here by choice or because he had rich parents. Maybe if the other soldiers saw that Wolf had wasn't being mean to him anymore, they would stop too. Maybe things would start looking up and, who know, if that did happen, maybe he wouldn't want to go back to Chelsea or school where MI6 could easily blackmail him into going on missions for them, and everyone at school would just bully him and make fun of him. Well, everyone except for Tom.

Tom was still his friend. Or at least Alex hoped he was. He hadn't seen Tome since before he was captured and Tom probably had no idea where he was. He probably thought that Alex was gone for good, or that he was just ignoring him. He missed Tom and wished he had some way to contact him. He wanted to see Tom again, but that probably wouldn't be happening any time soon. He wasn't sure if Tom would even want to see him. After all, it had almost been half a year. Maybe he really didn't want Tom to see him when he looked like this. He sighed again. Why was everything so hard to figure out?

-NBD-

The next morning, Dr. Smith had to check over Alex to see if the wounds were healing. Wolf came to sit with Alex while the doctor did that so he wouldn't feel uncomfortable by himself.

Dr. Smith led Alex to the check-up room. Wolf pushed him in the wheelchair into the room, and then helped him onto the counter. Dr. Smith asked him to take off his shirt, and, even though Alex did not feel comfortable doing it, he did it anyway. He didn't like people seeing the scars that littered his torso. It would only arise questions. Fortunately, Dr. Smith sensed why Alex was uncomfortable and looked past the scars, just focusing on the task at hand. He slowly peeled off Alex's bandages to reveal the scabbed over wounds. Alex winced as Dr. Smith poked and prodded at them.

After a few minutes Dr. Smith finally stood up. "It looks like the wounds are healing nicely, but I would like to keep you here for the rest of the week since it has been taking longer than I anticipated."

"But, do I have to stay in bed the whole time?" Alex was sad to hear that he would have to stay here until the end of the week.

"Yeah. Couldn't I take him outside or something? It shouldn't be a problem as long as someone is with him right," Wolf spoke up.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't be a problem. You can take him outside occasionally, but not for too long. Maybe an hour or so."

Alex brightened up at this. He hadn't been outside in a while, if you didn't count the walk to the infirmary.

"Can we go now," Alex asked, with child-like joy.

"Sure, but be careful. We don't want to stall the healing process, "Dr. Smith called after them as they had already made their way out the door.

-NBD-

Outside, Wolf had just realized it was cold and Cub did not have a jacket on. And he was dressed in the hospital issued pajamas and shivering uncontrollably. "Um, uh don't you have a jacket or something?"

"I-it's in m-my su-suitcase."

"Oh. I guess we should go get it then."

Wolf wheeled Cub toward K-unit's cabin and retrieved the jacket.

He waited as Cub put it on, then asked him, "So where do you want to go?"

"Can we go sit by the lake?" Alex asked.

"Alright, then."

As he pushed Cub toward the lake, he noticed that the soldiers who stayed over break were out keeping in shape and they were all glaring at Cub. Wolf glared right back at them until they eventually looked away. He looked down at Cub, and saw he had his head down. He had probably noticed the hate filled stares and had chosen to ignore them.

Once they got to the lake, they sat at the end of the dark in comfortable silence until Wolf took him back to the infirmary.

The next day, Alex woke up to Wolf gently tapping his shoulder.

"The sergeant wants to see you, and he told me to come get you."

"Why?" Alex asked pulling himself into a sitting position.

"He didn't say, but we should hurry up."

10 minutes later found Alex and Wolf in the sergeant's office. The sergeant told Wolf to wait outside while he talked to Alex. He hadn't seen him since he had arrived and he looked worse for wear. He was too thin that was for sure. And his eyes looked haunted. Something you shouldn't see in a teenager. He just pretended he didn't notice it. After all, he was the director of this camp. He had to keep up his tough exterior.

"I called you in to inform you that Ben Daniels, your current guardian, has returned back from his latest mission and has requested a visit with you. He will arrive next week on Monday. That is all you are dismissed."

He didn't wait for a reply from the kid but did see how his face lit up from the news. He called Wolf back in and watched as they both left.

Back at the infirmary Alex was very excited. Ben was finally coming to see him! That meant he hadn't forgotten about him. He couldn't get rid of the huge smile in his face.

"Why are you so happy?" Wolf asked, curiously.

"Ben's coming back!"

-NBD—

It was finally the end of the week and Dr. Smith had let him go back to the cabin with Wolf. He had been so excited the past few days, and he couldn't wait for Monday. It seemed so far away. It seemed that things really were finally looking up. Wolf was actually being friendly and Ben was finally coming to see him.

He was a little worried at what Ben would think of him since he looked even worse than when he had been dropped off. It was mostly due to him not eating. The food here was disgusting. But he hoped Ben wouldn't mind.

So, Alex fell asleep that night one day closer to finally seeing him.

**Soooo... what did you think? I'm not to sure about the ending. And sorry it's so short. I'll try to make it longer next time. **

**Ben is finally coming back. Will he be back next chapter or is something going to happen before that...? **

**Oh and just to be clear, this is not slash. **

**Suggestion would be really helpful. And reviews! :) Please review. I'm kinda in this reviewing war with my sister (Mango21) and I'm kinda losing. So please review with suggestions or anything. Like I said, suggestions would be helpful. **

**Thanks again for all the reviews.**


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